Railway switch operating apparatus



May 28, 1946. TEMPLE RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 20, 1942 4 She etsSheet 1 ZZZa . IN VENTOR 6 0F Z Temple.

QJ-aC [[1 S' A TTORNE Y May 28, 1946. G. LLTEMPLE RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov 20, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V ENTOR ear'ge Z. 79/12 0222 I f [5" ATTORNEY G. L. TEMPLE RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS May 28, 1946.

Original Filed Nov. 20; 1942 4 Sheets-Shegt 3 INVENTOR H119 ATTORNEY May 28, 1946. G. L. TEMPLE 2,401,120

- RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 20, 1942 4 Sheets- Sheet 4 N Q Q INVENTOR Q Q E George L [km ie.

H19 ATTORNEY Patented May 28, 1946 UNITED Lilith Parser reins.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS George L. Temple, Rosedale Heights, Ia, assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania 3 Claims.

My invention relates to railway switch operating apparatus, and particularly to manually controlled switch operating apparatus for switches of the type which are intended to be trailed.

One object of m invention is to provide novel and improved apparatus of the type described in. cluding within a single housing manually operable means for throwing the switch to either extreme position and for subsequently yieldingly holding it in either extreme position to which it is thrown, means for locking the switch in one extreme position for facing point moves over the switch and for automatically unlocking it me chanically for trailing moves, and means for preventing objectionable slapping of the points while a trainis trailing the switch Other objects and characteristic features of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The present application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 466,307, filed on November 20, 1942, for Railway switch operating apparatus, now Patent No. 2,373,517, granted April 10, 19l5.

I shall describe one form of railway switch opcrating apparatus embodying my invention, and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing a railway switch provided with one form of switch operating apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view partly in section of the switch operating apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View taken on the line V--V of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged left-hand end view of a bufiing device D forming part of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical longitudinal sectional views of the device D shown in Fig. 6 taken on the lines VIIVII and VIII-VIII, respectively, of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line IXIX of Fi 7.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

Referring first to Fig. i, the reference character A designates a railway switch comprising, as usual, two fixed rails I and la and two movable rails 2 and 2a. The fixed rails I and la are laid on tie plates 3 and are secured to crossties fl in the usual manner. The movable rails 2 and 2a are fastened together by a front rod 5, a head rod 5, a bridle rod 1, and a tie rod 3, and may be moved into a normal or a reverse position by means of an operating rod 9 which is connected with the head rod 6 through the medium of the usual switch basket It. When the switch'occupies its normal position in which it is shown in Fig. l, the movable rail 2 engages the fixed rail i I, and the movable rail 20! is spaced from the fixed secured to the tail-like projection Illa. of the main casing Hi. ihe upper end of the main casing is closedby a cover lIlb, while the auxiliary casing is closed by a hinged cover I I252.

A switch actuating shaft He is journaled in a vertical bearing I I I0 provided in the bottom wall of the main casing HI, and. is operatively connected at its lower end with the operating rod 9 through the medium of a removable switch operating arm I Ma, the parts being so proportioned that rotation of the shaft II-i through an angle of approximately 35 will move the switch between its normal and reverse positions.

The upper end of the shaft I M is provided with a two arm crank I I5, the one arm of which carries a roller H5 and the other arm of which carries a roller HI (see Fig. 4). The roller lle extends into and cooperates with a cam slot Ilsa formed in a plate Ila mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the bottom of the main casing Ill, while the roller I ll extends into and cooperates with a cam slot mm provided on the underside of a plate H8 which is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the casing III directly above the plate I I9. To permit the roller II! to extend into the cam slot 8a, an opening Il9b (Figs. 3 and 4) is formed in the plate I19 through which the arm of the crank H5 which carries the roller Ill. extends with considerable clearance. The upper plate II 8 is provided on its upper side with rack teeth I25, and is adapted to be reciprocated between two extreme positions by means of a hand throw lever I2I fixed to a shaft I22. The shaft IE2 is journaled in suitable bearings provided in the side walls of the main casing I I I, and has fixed thereto a segment gear eratively connected with the plate H9 adjacent .one end thereof by means of transversely spaced bolts I25 which are secured at one end to the thrust bar and the other ends of which pass through clearance holes in an upstanding rib I I90 formed integrally with the plate H9, and a similar thrust bar I242) is similarly operatively connected with the plate II9 djacent its opposite end. The two thrust bars are biased away from the associated ribs H90 to the extent permitted by the bolts by means of compressed coil springs I25 which surround the bolts I25 between the thrust bars and the ribs, and the thrust bar I24a cooperates with a depending portion I I31) formed on one end of the plate II8, while the thrust bar I24b cooperates with a, depending portion I I8c formed on the other end of the plate I I8. The function of the thrust bars will be made clear presently.

The plate I I9 is further connected at one end with the piston rod 38 of a bufling device D. This bufiing device may have any preferred construction but as here shown (see Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9) it comprises a cylinder II j closed at one end by a cylinder head 31 and at the other end by a cylinder head 36. The piston rod 30 extends into the cylinder II through a stuffing box 39, and through a suitable opening 31a in the cylinder head 31 and is fastened to two spaced recirrocable pistons 40 and M. The cylinder II J is intended to be filled with a suitable fluid such as oil, and the stulhng box 39 forms a fluid tight joint through which the piston rod may slide.

The wall of the cylinder II is provided at its I fluid is formed in the casing I I directly above the cylinder II). The cylinder is constantly connected near its center with this reservoir by means of an opening 42 in the cylinder wall. The cylinder is also connected at its left-hand end with this reservoir through two coaxial ports 43 and 44 (see Fig. 8), and at its right-hand end with the reservoir through two coaxial ports 5| and 52.

The flow of fluid through the ports 43 and 44 is controlled by a poppet valve F comprising a valve member 45 carried by a valve stem 46, and cooperating with a valve seat 43a formed in the end of the port 43. The right-hand end of the valve stem 45 is fluted and extends into the ports 43 and 44, while the left-hand end of the valve stem 46 slides in a guide bearing 4! formed in a plug 48 screwed into a threaded opening in the cylinder head 38. A spring 49 having one end located in an annular recess 50 in the plug 40 to center the spring with respect to the valve stem,

engages the valve member 45 and constantly stem 54 is adapted to slide in a guide bearing 56 formed in a plug 51. The plug 51 also has formed therein an annular recess 58 which rec iv s one The left-hand end of the valve end of a coil spring 53. The other end of the coil spring 53 engages th valve member 53 and constantly urges the valve member 53 toward the valve seat 52 a.

The valves F and G are operated by two tappets 60 and SI, respectively, which, in turn, are actuated by a cam 52a formed by cutting away a portion of a cam shaft 62, as best seen in Figs. 8 and 9. The tappet 6a is slidably mounted in two lugs 53 projecting upwardly from the wall of the cylinder I If into the reservoir I Ig, and the tappet 6| is likewise mounted in two similar lugs 64. The cam shaft 62 is journaled in two bearings 65 and 66 screwed into the side walls of the cylinder II), as best seen in Fig. 9. The, outer end of the cam shaft 52 is provided with an arm 622) which is pivotally connected through an adjustable link 51 with a cam follower [4| (see Fig. 5) mounted on an eccentric cam I40 secured to the shaft I22. The parts are so proportioned that when hand throw lever I2] occupies its normal position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, the cam 52a is rotated out of engagement with the tappet GI and into engagement with the tappet 00 so that valve G is closed and valve F is open. When the hand throw lever is rotated to its opposite extreme position, however, the cam 02a is rotated out of engagement with the tappet 50 and into engagement with the tappet BI, so that valve F is closed and valve G is open.

To facilitate the insertion of fluid into the cylinder II a screw plug 69 is provided in the reservoir I I g as best seen in Fig. 9.

The cylinder IIf isfurther connected at its left-hand end with the reservoir IIg through a port I30, a regulating valve I3I, and two ports I32 and I33, and at its right-hand end with the reservoir IIg through a port I34, a regulatin valve I35, and two ports I35 and I31.

The regulating valve I 3| may have any suitable form, but in the form here shown, this valve comprises a cylindrical valve member I3Ia fitting within a hole I38 in the cylinder head 38 and attached to a valve stem I3Ib. The valve member I3Ia is provided with a plurality of restricted orifices I3Ic, one or more of which may be brought into registry with the port I32 by turning the valve member I3I a.

The regulatin valve I35 is similar to the re ulating valve HI and comprises a cylindrical valve member I35a fitting in a hole I39 in the cylinder head 31 and attached to a valve stem I352). The valve member I35a is provided with a plurality of restricted orifices I350 one or more of which may be brought into registry with the port I35 by turning the valve member I35.

Reciprocably mounted in the casing I I I directly above the plate I I8'is a locking device I50 comprising two spaced parallel side members IBM and l50b connected together at their opposite ends by mean of integral end members I 500 and I50d. Th right-hand end member carries a rectangular locking plunger 80, and is formed with two spaced threaded holes I50] and I50g, while the other end member I50d is provided with three unthreaded holes I50h, I507 and I50lc, two of which holes I50h and IBM? align,' respectively, with the threaded holes I50f and I509. The locking plunger projects with some clearance into a longitudinally extending guideway provided in the tail-like projection Ilia of the casing HI, and cooperates at its right-hand end with a lock rod L which is slidably mounted in the auxiliary casing H2 at right angles to the locking plunger. The lock rod L in the form illustrated i of standard construction, and comprises two longitudinally adjustable bars 83 and 84 attached at one end'to the front rod of the switch. A and Provided with registering notches 85 so disposed that these notches will align with the locking plunger 80 when and only when the switch A occupies the extreme position in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

The locking device I55 also comprises two bolt members I501 and I5ilm which pass through the holes I50h and I5fik, respectively, and are screwed into the threaded holes I58) and I509. These bolt members also extend with some clearance through holes I'5I and I52 formed in lugs I53 and I54 secured to the upper face of the plate I is. and surrounding each bolt member between the asso ciated lug I53 or I54 and the end member I5tc is a compressed coil spring I 5%, which biases the locking device in the direction to cause the looking plunger 80 to enter the notches 85 in the lock rod L.

The parts of the lockingdevice are so proportioned that when the plate I I8 is in its right-hand of which engages the right-hand side of the end member I5fld, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3. V

The other end of the plunger bolt I55 is adjust- Th e ably connected by means of a turnbuckle 9 la (see Fig. l) with one end of a connecting rod 93, the opposite end of which i pivotally connected with the long arm 94a of a bell crank lever 95. The bell crank lever 94 is pivotally supported in a crank stand 95, and has its shortarin 94b pivotally connected with one end of an operating rod to. The other end of the operating rod 95 is connected with the previously described tie rod 8 by means of a standard switch basket 91. The tie rod 8 may be located at any suitable location, but will preferably be located approximately halfway between the heel and the point of the switch. The base of the crank stand 95 is secured both to a gauge plate '98 and to a tie strap 99 which is fastened at one end to the mechanism B, and it will be apparent, therefore, that any loss of adjustment between the parts due to creepage of the ties is prevented. The plunger belt I 55, turnbuckle SIa, connecting rod 93, bell crank lever 94. operating rod 96, switch basket 91, and tie rod e also constitute means for efiecting the unlockiruz the extreme position in which itis shown in the drawings, the upper plate H8 is held in its extreme right-hand or normal position, and the parts are so proportioned that under these conditions the dependingportion H80 on the plate will engage the thrust bar lZ-b and will thereby compress the springs I26 associated with this thrust bar beyond their initial compression to thus exert a force on the plate H9 which yielda bly urges it to an extreme right-hand position. The cam slot IIQa in the plate I I9 has a radius of curvature equal to the are through which the roller H6 moves when the shaft H4 is rotated, but is disposed in the plate I I9 in such an angular position that when the plate ,9 is moved to its right-hand extreme position, the roller will move to the upper end of the cam slot Ilsa, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4 and will thus rotate the crank shaft in a clockwise direction to one extreme position. When the crank occupies this clockwise extreme position, the roller II! on the crank H5 is disposed in the left-hand end of the cam slot I 63a, and the parts are so proportioned that under these conditions the force applied to the crank through the cam slot Il9a and roller II6 will yieldably hold the movable rails in their normal extreme positions. With the movable rails in their normal extreme positions, the notches 85 in the look rod L align with the locking plunger 88, and the biasing springs 1545 12 thereforemove the locking device I59 to its locking position, in which the plunger 85 enters the aligned notches 85 to thereby positively lock the movable rails in their normal extreme positions. a

When it is desired to reverse the switch, the hand throw lever is rotated from the extreme position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 to its opposite extreme position. This movement of the, lever. causes the plate I8 to move from its extreme right-hand or normal position to an extreme lefthand or reverse position. As soon as the plate 518 has moved a short distance, the lugs I53 and lfi tcarried thereby engage the right-hand side of the end member I55d of the locking device I59, and as a result, as the plate I I8 continues to move, we locking device :55 is moved along with the plate H8, thus withdrawing the locking plunger 38 from engagement with the notches 85 in'the lock rod L, and hence unlocking the movable rails 2 and 2a. Furthermore, as soon as the motion plate has moved a short distance, the depending portion H84: will move out of engagement with the thrust .bar lz tb and will thus remove the force applied to the lower plate I I9 by the associated springs I26. The parts are so proportioned hat while the locking plunger is being withdrawn from the notches 85 in the lock rod L, the roller Ii! of the crank H5 will move along a portion of the cam slot IIBa which is parallel to the direction of motion of the plate H8, and as long as the roller is moving along this portion of the slot, the crank H5 will remain stationary. It follows, therefore, that. during that portion of the motion of the motion plate which is necessary to unlock the movable rails of the switch, no force is exerted on these rails tending to reverse them.- As soon, however, as this first part of the movement of the plate H8 has been completed, the roller ill is then engaged by a curved intermediate portion of the cam slot I Ifia which causes the crank i I5 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction,as viewed in Fig. 2, and hence causes the movable rails to be moved to their reverse positions. The counterclockwise rotation of the crank I it also causes the roller i I6 to move from the upper to the lower end of the cam slot IIsa. and hence causes plate I is to move from its righthand extreme position to a left-hand extreme position. During the final portion of the move ment of the motionplate to its left-hand extreme position the roller ll! enter another straight portion of the cam slot I IBa which is parallel to the direction of motion of the motion plate, and the depending portion II8b moves into engagement with the thrust bar lied and causes the associated springs I26 to become compressed beyond their initial compression, whereby the plate I 19 is yieldably urged into a left-hand or reverse extreme position. This yieldable force applied to the plate I I9 acts through the cam slot I we and roller I I6 to exert a force on the crank I I which biases'the switch points to, and yieldably holds them in, their reverse extreme positions. During the movement of the hand throw lever I2I from its normal to its reverse position the cam shaft 62 of the 'bufiing device D is actuated to close valve F and open valve G, and during the motion of the lower plate I I9 from its normal to its reverse extreme position the pistons 49 and M of the buffing device D are moved toward the left. Due, however, to the construction of this device, the device offers substantially no resistance to the movement of the plate I I9 under these conditions. It should be noted that as long as the movable rails'remain stationary, the plunger bolt I55 remains fixed, so that during the first part of the movement of the motion plate the end member I 50d of the locking device I50 will move out of engagement with the head of the plunger bolt. As soon as the movable rails have started to move, however, the resultant movement of the tie rod 8 acting through the linkage which connects the plunger bolt with the tie rod causes the plunger bolt to move in the same direction that the motion plate is moving although the time of motion and rate of motion will bear no direct relation to the movement of the motion plate.

When the movable rails have been moved to their reverse positions in the manner just described, they may be restored to their normal positions by restoring the hand throw lever I2I to the position shown. The subsequent movements of the parts under these conditions are just the reverse of those described above, and it is believed that the operation of the apparatus under these conditions will be readily understood from an inspection of the drawings without further description.

I shall now assume that the parts are in their normal positions, as shown in the drawings, and that a train trails the switch. As the leading wheels of the train roll along the fixed rail 1 and the movable rail 2a, the movable rails 2 and 2a are forced over laterally, but before a sufficient force is developed to overcome the force which yieldably holds the points of the movable rails in their normal positions, the movable rails will become bent intermediate their ends and this bending will act through the linkage connecting the tie rod 8 with the locking device to move the locking device I5fl in opposition to the bias of the springs I50n a sufficient amountto withdraw the locking plunger 8%] completely out of engagement with the notches 85 in the lock rod L, thus unlocking the switch. As a result, when the leading wheels have reached the positions in which sufficient force is developed to overcome the force holding the points of the movable rails in their normal positions, the movable rails will be unlocked, with the result that the rails will be forced toward their reverse positions by the wheels in exactly the same manner as if no point lock were provided. The movement of the rails toward their reverse positions will rotate the crank H5 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, and this rotation will act through the roller II 6 and cam slot 9a to force the plate H9 toward the left. The motion of the plate llfi toward the left, in turn, will compress the springs I 26 associated with the thrust bar I241) beyond their initial compression so that these springs will exert an increased force tending to return the movable rails toward their normal extreme positions. The motion of the plate H9 toward the left will also force the piston rod I36 into the buffing device D. Due-to its connection with shaft I22, the camshaft 62 will remain stationary under these conditions and will hold the valve F open and the valve G closed. As a result, the buffing device will offer very little resistance to the movement of the piston rod into the cylinder, but any movement of the piston rod in the opposite direction will be limited to the relatively slow rate at which fluid can flow through the valve I35. It will be seen, therefore, that the bufiing device will act to prevent the movable rails from snapping back to their normal positions between the passage of successive pairs of wheels through them. When the train which is trailing the switch has completely passed the switch, the movable rails will slowly return to their normal positions under the bias of the springs I 26 associated with the thrust bar I241), and against the retarding force of the buffing device D. During this return movement 01" the movable rails there will be no deflections of these rails, and the locking plunger III! will be moved into engagement with the lock rod L before the movable rails have reached their full normal positions in which the lock rod is in the proper position for the notches in the lock rod L to receive the locking plunger. The springs I 5811 will therefore become compressed, and will urge the locking plunger into engagement with the side of the lock rod, until the notches 85 move into alignment with the locking plunger, at which time the energy stored in the compressed springs I5Iln will force the locking plunger into place in the notches, thus restoring the switch to its normal locked condition.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is intended to be provided with a circuit controller disposed in the auxiliary housing IIZ for indicating when the switch occupies its normal position and is properly locked in this position. This circuit controller is not shown since it is of well known construction. It i intended, however, to be mounted in the auxiliary casing I I2, and may, for example, be similar to that shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,976,827, granted to Herbert L. Bone on October 16, 1934, for Railway switch operating apparatus.

If a train trails the switch when the switch is reversed, the switch will be unlocked and will remain unlocked, but otherwise the operation of the apparatus will be similar to that just described.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of railway switch operating apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaft rotatable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with said switch for moving said switch between its two extreme positions, a first plate manually reciprocable between two extreme positions, a second plate reciprocable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with said first plate through spring means, cam means formed in said two platesrespectively, a crank secured to said shaft and provided with two rollers one cooperating with the cam means in each said plate, said cam means being so arranged that said spring means will act to bias said switch to one extreme position or the other according as said first plate is moved to its one or its other extreme position and that when said first plate occupies either extreme position said crank is free to rotate in opposition to said spring means.

2. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaft rotatable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with said switch for moving said switch between its two extreme positions, a first plate manually reciprocable between two extreme positions, a second plate reciprocable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with said first plate through spring means, cam means formed in said two plates respectively, a crank secured to said shaft and provided with two rollers one cooperating with the cam means in each said plate, said cam means being so arranged that said spring means will act to bias said switch to one extreme position or the other according as said first plate is moved to its one or its other extreme position and that when said first plate occupies either extreme position said crank is free to rotate in opposition to said spring means, locking means for locking said switch in one extreme position, means connected with said first plate for biasing said locking means to a locking position when said first plate is moved to one extreme position and for moving said locking means to an unlocking position when said first plate is moved to its other extreme position, and means mechanically actuated by a train trailing said switch for moving said locking means to its unlocking position.

3. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaft rotatable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with said switch for moving said switch between its two extreme positions, a first plate manually reciprocable between two extreme positions, a second plate reciprocable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with said first plate through spring means, cam means formed in said two plates respectively, a crank secured to said shaft and, provided with two rollers one cooperating with the cam means in each said plate, said cam means being so arranged that said spring means will act to bias said switch to one extreme position or the other according as said first plate is moved to its one or its other extreme position and that when said first plate occupies either'extreme position said crank is free to rotate in opposition to said spring means, locking means for locking said switch in one extreme position, means connected with said first plate for biasing said locking means to a locking position when'said first plate is moved to one extreme position and for moving said locking means to an unlocking position when said first plate is moved to its other extreme position, means mechanically actuated by a train trailing said switch for moving said locking means to its unlocking position, a buifing device operatively connected with said second plate and effective when a train trails said switch to oppose movement of the switch by said spring means, and means for rendering said bufing device ineffective to'oppose movement of said switch when said first plate is manually reciprocated between its two extreme positions.

7 GEORGE L. TEMPLE. 

